The most recent issue of the newsletter of the National Council of Social Security Management Associations (NCSSMA), a voluntary organization of Social Security management personnel, has an article on the agency's Teleservice Centers (TSCs). Some points from the piece:
- On June 10, 2014 Social Security's 800 number handled its One-Billionth call;
- As of June 2015, the TSCs had handled 49 million calls since the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1, 2014;
- The TSCs have a "very aggressive" goal of 700 seconds average speed of answer and 8% agent busy rate.
According to their last newsletter, this is what they are doing now.
ReplyDelete800 Number Telephone Service
• FY 2012: Busy Rate: 4.6 percent; Time on
Hold: 4 minutes, 14 seconds; Answer Rate:
unavailable
• FY 2014: Busy Rate: 13.5 percent; Time on
Hold: 22 minutes, 3 seconds; Answer Rate:
53.8 percent
So, I suppose getting the wait time down from 22 minutes to 12 might qualify as "aggressive" but it it still disgraceful. Frankly, since calling 800 only causes me to increase my blood pressure, I almost never do that. I don't think I'm unusual. If all the people who should be able to get information from the 800 number tried to use it, the waits would be even longer.
Goals like these lead to incredible pressure on the employees answering the phone to rush through calls as fast as possible. You know how private companies ask you "is there anything else I can help you with?" at the end of a call. We don't do this. We can't. We want to get you off the line. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteDo they realize how pathetic this is? Why bother? It's like a 700 pound person trying got get to 699 for health reasons.
ReplyDeleteGoing from 22 minutes to 12 is nearly half the amount of time. Going from 700 to 699 is less that 1 percent. Just saying.
ReplyDeleteHave you checked the website "On Hold With" SSA looks pretty good!
ReplyDeleteTypical BS from NCSSMA, the Pollyanna of management.
ReplyDelete